Into the Fire
by Shadow-Phoenix-Rider
Summary: It was just going to be one simple delivery. Now, Captain Zavvi is stuck on a warzone of a planet with only a handsome Mantellian and his motley crew for company...
1. Warm Welcome

The engines of the Corellian XS Stock Light freighter rumbled loudly over the battered and bruised Drelliad Village, the ship banking gracefully in the sky like some gigantic metal bird. Two men watched the ship come in; one perched upon a small hill, looking up with appreciation and wonder, the other leaning against some railings on the landing pad with a smirk on his face. _Not bad, not bad._ It quickly dipped own, landing gear falling into place just as the XS skidded on the landing pad, metal grinding against concrete with a screech before it stopped. The older man raised an eyebrow. _Okay, that was impressive. Looks like this captain has some skills, alright._

The hatch gave a soft hiss, the ramp dropping to the ground with a soft 'clunk', and the said captain emerged at the top of the stairs.

She was a young woman Twi'lek, with soft light blue skin, sharp light green eyes, a brown and light silver metal headband resting on her forehead, a multitude of black curving tattoos all over her lekku, with a marking on each cheek and both sides of her neck. She wasn't a big woman, but she wasn't petite either; her body had curves in all the right places, but it was clear that even from a glance, she looked like she shouldn't be underestimated.

The corner of the older man's lips curved upwards slightly. The Twi'lek noted his Corellian accent as he spoke to her whilst she walked down the ramp towards him.

"Can't believe you made it through that separatist shooting gallery, Captain." He gestured to the freighter. "Your ship isn't even scratched. It takes guts landing in the middle of the battlefield."  
The smuggler chuckled, reaching up to rest a hand against the metal of her beloved ship.

"I owe it to my hair-trigger reflexes, cracker-jack timing and the fact the _Skylark_ has never once let me down. She's a loyal girl, and I wouldn't trade her for anything."

The human made a 'huh' noise and turned away, walking into the hangar nearby. The captain followed, a little perturbed by the way he brushed her off. No matter; the booms of cannons made her a little uncomfortable and she wanted to pick up her payment, unload her cargo and just get off this world before those guns turned against her.

He looked over his shoulder as they entered the hangar, and she noticed the strange black tattoo coiled around the right side of his face. It was almost like some demonic serpent the way it snaked over his skin with dagger-like protrusions sticking out of it.

"The name's Skavak; I'm picking up the blasters you delivered. Excuse the rush, but I need to get out of here quick."  
"S'alright." She shrugged. "I'd be more surprised if you wanted to stay in this dump." Skavak snorted.  
"Some idiots call this place home, believe it or not." He turned his attention back to the console. "This village used to be safe, but the separatists are taking over. You'd best haul jets after we've done, Captain..."  
"Zavvi. Captain Zavvi." The Twi'lek nodded. "Who are these separatists? Do you know what they're after? Can they be placated with shiny trinkets?" Skavak smirked then.  
"If only, Captain. No, the separatists want to break away from the Republic." A loud boom rumbled through the hangar from outside. "Judging by all the explosions, they're serious about the idea." The Corellian grimaced as another rumble made the hanger shudder. "Sounds like the bombing is getting closer. The separatists will be on top of us any minute." He turned back around, handing a pouch of credstiks to her, Zavvi noticing his blue eyes briefly roving over her body. "Here's your payment for making this run, Captain. Soon as I have those blasters, you're free to fly."

The hurried clomping of boots made Zavvi whirl her head around and her hand dart to her blaster. But then she had to do a double-take. Another human, younger than Skavak, but just as tall, looked shaken and worried, and judging by the way he skidded to a halt, he'd run a good speed over a fair distance to reach them, yet when he opened his mouth, he talked so fast it was as if he hadn't run a single mile.

"Skavak! We gotta big problem! Separatists took over the local air defence cannon!" The young man's accent was twangy, more...country. It wasn't an accent she'd heard before, so she assumed it was a local one. Zavvi spotted Skavak rolling his eyes with a sigh of resignation.  
"Whoa, slow down, slow down Corso. What are you talking about?" He strolled over to him, the young man swallowing and trying again, a little slower, but no less unnerved. He hadn't spotted the starship captain yet, it seemed.  
"They deployed some kinda remote control stations; hijacked the cannon's targeting computer." He scowled furiously. "Damn seps just destroyed an incoming Republic transport!"

Zavvi hadn't really been paying much attention until the mention of the transport. Though she had the veil of working for herself, she leaned more than a little to helping the Republic; she had a couple of reasons why the Empire was not her cup of tea. No, she had been too busy eyeing the Mantellian up to actually listen to what he was saying. He seemed young, but now she looked at him, she noted the scars over his face; one high on his temple, several on his left cheek, two resting on a nose that looked like it had been broken and reformed to almost perfect, and a strange set of five horizontal parallel scars across his throat. His shoulders were board, his face strong, yet his brown eyes seemed warm and gentle, belying every emotion rattling around his head. The Twi'lek was intrigued by his thick brown dreadlocks, most tied up to a knot on the top of his head, but a braid hung either side of his face. Tanned skin; he'd spent a lot of time outdoors, though most was hidden under shabby armour clothing. He had a great blaster rifle strapped to his back, and a pistol at his thigh, both seemingly well maintained.

Zavvi quickly formed some words, hoping Skavak hadn't noticed her zone out.  
"You gotta name?" She asked, and the mercenary's head snapped to her voice with a start.  
"Huh? Oh!" Was that a blush that suddenly flared on his cheeks? "Corso Riggs. I'm with Skavak, nice to meet you." He smiled, but his expression became serious once more. "With those remote control stations, the seps can override the air defence cannon's computer an' turn that firepower against us any time they want!"  
"That's bad news, Captain." Skavak shook his head. "Fancy flying or no, the separatists will blast you outta the sky if you even think of taking off."  
"The seps have remote control stations all over the area." Corso informed her. "You'll probably have to hit several before they lose control of that cannon."  
Zavvi smiled wryly.  
"And here's me thinking this would be a simple and boring job." She grinned at each, meeting their eyes in turn. "Pardon me, boys, but I think it's high time I caused some mayhem!"  
"Good luck." Corso grinned boyishly, eyes bright. "Hope we see you again."  
"I've no doubt you will." She grinned, flouncing off with an air of confidence and a devil-may-care attitude.

"Let's move, Corso." Skavak grunted. "We're running out of time." Corso nodded, but he didn't move, watching the Twi'lek smuggler go with interest. Even when she was out of sight he kept looking in that direction, absorbed with his thoughts. It was Skavak who snapped him out of his reverie.  
"She's a hot one, isn't she?"  
Corso turned to the Corellian, blushing slightly.  
"Well, she's very beautiful..." He admitted. Then frowned as the older man's words registered. "Skavak! You can't seriously-"  
"Why not? You don't get women as fit as that come through this place everyday. Would be a shame to waste the opportunity." The Mantellian fumed.  
"Just because she's a Twi'lek doesn't mean you have to treat her like, like some Hutt's dancer, Skavak! She deserves respect!"  
"What for? So, she flew through a shooting gallery and managed to land; doesn't make her worth respect. Any half decent smuggler can do the same as she did." The older human grinned. "You've got feelings for her, kid, I can tell!"  
"I-I," Riggs flushed a light pink, but stood his ground. "W-Well, maybe, but what's it to you?" _Kid didn't even notice she was checking him out. _Skavak mused to himself._  
_"I'm thinking that you don't have a hope in hell with her, kid. You should let the men who know what they're doing handle it. Besides," he gestured to the freighter, "shouldn't you be unloading?"

Corso scowled darkly at Skavak and stalked stormily off to the ship to unload the blaster cargo. _He's right. I don't have a chance with her. She'd probably enjoy his slick-talking manner._ He paused as he approached the first crate. _But she's so...I don't want to see Skavak take her off for a one-night stand. The Captain doesn't deserve that. Skavak might think her flying was average, but I don't.  
_

Suddenly, the sounds of gunfire erupted from the hangar, and Corso quickly turned away from the cargo and charged out of the ship...


	2. Backlash

Zavvi pursed her lips in frustration. The cannon's targeting computer just wasn't playing ball, and it beeped stubbornly at her. The Twi'lek knew a couple of workarounds, and had tried each one, but the computer stayed stubbornly activated. Just her luck. Any hope she had that she'd be able to make the cannon safe and allow friendly forces to make use of it later was gone. She choose the option she'd learnt early on in her career: When in doubt, blast it. At least she'd be able to wreck it so badly it would be unusable and repairing it would mean the cannon would take ages to come back online again.

Unholstering her pistol, she fired several shots into the console, the screens blanking out as the targeting computer was neutralized. As well as most of the wires and motherboards inside it. No sooner had she done that, however, her comm squealed urgently. She quickly took it out of her pocket, and the ghostly blue figure of Corso flickered into view, crouching behind some boxes.  
"Captain, it's Corso! We got big trouble back at the hangar!" Zavvi's expression quickly became concern, worrying first about her beloved ship, then about her two associates.  
"Sep trouble, I assume. Is my ship alright?"  
"Got it in one, Captain." He looked over his shoulder briefly, ducking as a blaster bolt narrowly brushed the top of his head. "She's alright for now, but maybe not for much longer. The seps are busting in; we're giving them a warm welcome, but we could really use a hand!" He looked to his side, bellowing; "Skavak! Get over here and help me seal this hangar door!"  
"Be with ya as quick as I can be!" The smuggler responded, but she didn't cut the transmission right away. Riggs looked back, nodding grimly.  
"Soon as you can, Captain, please."  
Suddenly she noticed movement as someone walked up behind Corso, the butt of a gun being raised menacingly.  
"Corso! Behind you!" She yelled, but was too late to warn the Mantellian; as he rose to his feet the gun came down, striking him hard on the back of his head. Zavvi watched in horror as the young man crumpled before her eyes, the transmission dying as he fell.  
She was out of the door before her brain had time to register what was going on.

* * *

The hangar was crawling with separatists, and Zavvi quickly scooted down behind some cover before they spotted her intrusion. The hangar door was obviously not sealed; she'd just walked straight in. As she peeked out from her hiding place, she noticed Corso leant up against some crates, clearly unconscious. The seps seemed to be a little relaxed, as if they weren't expecting anyone, but some were hovering around the mercenary's body, as if trying to work out what to do with him. They were fingering their guns, and she reckoned that Corso's chance of survival was very small if she didn't something now.

"Hey, pick on someone who can fight!" She hollered loudly, grinning as they left the Mantellian alone to blast at her. She sank down behind some cover, grinning as the shots pinged uselessly against the metal.  
Waiting a few moments, she suddenly popped up, a flurry of blaster bolts catching many by surprise, collapsing to the floor dead or in pain. Flicking a small charge up from her belt, she lobbed it at one separatist trying to get a pot-shot at her. The female separatist realised immediately what it was when it attached to her, and tried unsuccessfully to remove it. One well aimed shot from Zavvi detonated it, killing the gunner instantly and injuring those standing too close. They refused to flee from her, but there were only a few in the hangar, and she took them down relatively quickly, but the Twi'lek couldn't help but feel a suspicious knot twist in her stomach. Something wasn't right...

With them down, she hurried over to the Mantellian, who had been roused by the sounds of gunfire. Her eyes danced briefly over his long limbs, though she wasn't sure why. His brown eyes brightened as he recognised her, then he hissed with pain as his injury kicked in.  
"Ugh..." He groaned. "Feels like a gundark used my skull as a drum. Thanks for saving my hide, Captain. I thought I was done for." He held out an arm, looking for help to get back up.  
"Well, I said I'd come, didn't I?" Zavvi half-smiled, clasping his hand and lower arm and hauling him to his feet with some effort. Corso stumbled as he rose, and they ended up very close to one another, Zavvi's nose almost brushing against the crook of his neck, exacerbating their height difference. They both blushed, and stepped away quickly.  
"Ahem..." Corso's blush was utterly adorable, but before she had a chance to do anything more, she heard something that made her heart stop. It was the sound of a hatch closing and engines throttling up.

Without missing a beat, Zavvi flew from Riggs' side, charging to the landing pad. _No no no, please, I'm mishearing, surely, surely!_  
Unfortunately, eyes confirmed her worse fear; her ears were telling the truth and it was indeed her freighter lifting up from the pad, landing gear retracting into its belly. The Twi'lek could only watch helplessly as it swung around, engines roaring loudly and the _Skylark _shot off into the horizon. The smuggler was so mortified that not only did the fact the XS didn't breach the atmosphere not register, she didn't notice Corso approaching her until he spoke. And even then, didn't take in his words.  
"Skavak helped those seps get in here. He stabbed us in the back!"

There was a pause, and the young man felt unease coil in the pit of his stomach.  
"That scum stole my ship." The spacer's jovial attitude was gone, and now there was only cold. The human opened his mouth to speak, and suddenly she moved. It seemed to happen in a blink of an eye, but in that time Corso had a blaster pistol pressed up against his neck, the heat from the barrel scorching his neck. Her light green eyes were blazing with fury and rage, both with intense heat and blinding ice.  
"Where has my ship gone? Tell me. Now." Her voice was empty, almost murderous; the mercenary knew she was deadly serious, but fear started to take hold as he knew he couldn't give her the answers she wanted...  
"I-I don't know, Captain!" He stammered. "T-The last thing I remember is, is someone sucker-punching me, and then, and then waking up to seps-" He was stopped mid-sentence as the pistol was jammed further into his neck.  
"How could you not know he was the enemy!" She barked furiously, her grip on trigger tightening. Corso knew that she'd only have squeeze only slightly and he'd be dead before he hit the floor.  
"S-Skavak's a real smooth talker, Captain! He, he, well, you couldn't tell his truth from lies half the time! I-I never saw him with the same woman twice he was that good!" He gulped, his neck scars rippling as he did so. "Please, Captain...I'm not with them!"  
A dark part of Zavvi wanted to pull the trigger, take her anger and her rage out on Corso. But the more logical part of her mind took hold, and finally everything started to sink in. _"He stabbed us in the back!"_. The human crumpling to the floor with Skavak looming over him. The seps taking aim to finish him.  
And she looked properly at him. His eyes were wide enough to show the whites, and were filled with terror, most of the colour in his face had drained completely, and under her pistol, she could feel his jugular throb rapidly, swelling with each pulse of his heart. She couldn't do this; it wasn't right.

With a sigh, she relaxed, letting her grip release on the trigger, and the gun fell away from his neck, returning to her side. The Twi'lek's shoulders slumped in resignation and apology.  
"I...I'm sorry Corso. You're right. I'm just...just so..." She wouldn't have been surprised if Corso had fled at that point, but he didn't. She was surprised when he reached out, tentatively, and rested a hand on her shoulder.  
"Hey, it's alright, Captain." She looked up at him, and his smile was warm and understanding, as were his eyes, making her feel further guilty that she'd even complemented killed him. "I can understand that your ship meant a lot to you. I mean, I know I don't have a ship, but my weapons mean a lot to me too, an' if anyone-" He stopped mid-sentence, as if someone had smacked him. Zavvi noticed out of the corner of her eyes, his hand was on his thigh. And then she realised: _Wait, wasn't he carrying two weapons?_

Corso's eyes widened with horror, and he looked down. His blaster pistol was missing; in fact, his entire thigh holster was missing, leaving him with only his rifle on his back.  
"W-Where's Torchy?" He glanced around frantically, before he too become incensed. "That son of mynock! He stole my blaster!" He noticed Zavvi raise an eyebrow in confusion, and started explaining. "Torchy's my best blaster! She's a BlasTech ALT-25 with magnatomic adhesion grip and side mounted rangefinder." He realised she may not be interested or understand, and so finished lamely. "She's too good for Skavak." A weak smile. "Sorry, didn't mean ta, aheh..."  
"Oh no, it's fine!" Zavvi reassured him. "I like a guy who knows his stuff; to me, a blaster's just a blaster. I can see why you'd value that as much as my ship..." She frowned. "I'm surprised that dirty thief didn't steal the whole hangar..."  
"He's not gonna get away with this!" Corso proclaimed, pulling his comm out and dialling Skavak's number. "Come on, come on...Pick up, blast you!" The Mantellian cursed.  
He did eventually, and the blue hologram of the Corellian appeared, wearing a sly grin.  
"Aw, what's the matter Corso? Did I hurt your feelings?" He crooned. "Be thankful you're alive, kid."  
"Ahem." Zavvi cleared her throat, and Skavak turned around to look at her.  
"You realise you're a dead man, right?" The Twi'lek said, matter-of-factly.  
"Plenty of women want me dead, sweetheart. You'll just have to get in line." He answered, and Corso saw the captain almost contort with fury at 'sweetheart', and briefly wondered how many new swear words he was going to learn during this conversation.  
"Don't you call me that, scumbag!" She spat, but Skavak ignored her.  
"On behalf of Ord Mantell's glorious freedom fighters, I thank you for your blasters, your ship, and a big laugh. Have a nice day."  
"Get your ass right back here mister! You know you can't win, you idiot!" Corso's comm beeped into inactivity.  
"It's no use," he sighed, "he cut the comm channel. He always was good at making an exit." There was a pause. "I feel for you, Captain. I know Torchy ain't the same as your ship-"  
"They are the same." Zavvi sighed. "They both mean a lot to us." Corso blinked, not really expecting her reaction. He groped for something to say.

"Listen, Captain, me and Skavak were working for a guy named Viidu. When he finds out Skavak's a sep, he'll want revenge just like you. I guarantee he'll help get your ship back, so do yourself a favour and go talk to Viidu at Fort Garnik."  
"I don't mean to be rude, but how exactly can this mysterious boss of yours help me?" The spacer asked. Riggs smiled.  
"Viidu's the 'King of Cargo'. There ain't a payload that comes to Ord that don't go through him. He has connections everywhere, so if anyone can find your ship, it's him. The Republic don't mind, as he keeps their supply lines open, so he can sit quite happily in Fort Garnik without trouble. It's just up the road from here." Corso nodded. "I'll send Viidu a holo, let him know ya coming. I'd go with ya, but I gotta lock down this hangar first."  
"I'm perfectly capable of looking after myself, Riggs." Zavvi said tartly.  
"Yeah, I know." He turned to brush it off, but she could see he'd been rebuffed by that. "I'll see you and Viidu soon, Captain."  
"Captain Zavvi, Corso. I'm not adverse to be called by my true name." The smuggler smiled. He smiled shyly back.  
"I'll remember that." He replied, watching her go.

* * *

With the hangar properly locked down, Corso collected what he could and set out. Separatists were still clinging onto Drelliad Village, but there seemed to be less of them now. It was odd, but he paid it little thought. He needed to reach Fort Garnik, and hope the Captain made it through all right. _I should have gone with her._ He thought bitterly. _A lady out here on her own wouldn't survive for long..._  
He spotted a familiar face from the military, and ducked behind the barriers to talk to him.  
"Hey, Blyes, long time no see." The man nodded to him.  
"Well met, Corso." He nodded to the hangar. "Troubles?"  
"Yeah, quite a few." The young man shook his head. He didn't want to go into it, not now. "Hey, any chance you've seen a Twi'lek smuggler come by this place?"  
"Oh, Captain Zavvi? Yeah, yeah, she's been through here. Twice." Blyes nodded. "Once, she was heading into Drelliad village; the seps had cut off our communications, she agreed to give us a hand and put them all out of action. The second time; well, it must have been only a couple of minutes ago. Wesner had info that the seps had stationed snipers in the hills; they were taking pot-shots at anything that moved, including civs."  
"What?" Corso exclaimed, eyes wide.  
"Yeah, that was her reaction too. She was so cross she said she'd do it for free, and she set off and started blasting them." He grinned. "Got word from base that she's cleared a whole ton out, and she's hardly scratched. I know she waived her fee, but I'm sure the brass would've given her credits any how."  
Corso didn't say anything for a moment.  
"Did it all by herself?"  
"Oh yeah. I saw part of the fights go down; she snuck up to them, then she suddenly pops out of her hiding place and there was just chaos! Each time though, she walked away with a smile on her face."  
"Whoa. She's one heck of a lady." Riggs murmured.  
"You got that right. Wish there were more of her around the place."  
Corso sat for a moment, letting it sink in. _Whoa. I knew she seemed different, but how! I apologise for doubting you, Captain._


	3. Old Wounds Run Deep

No-one in Rendia Freight really seemed to be surprised at the Twi'lek smuggler as she strode in, but she did notice the eyes of some guys following her. With a grin, she exaggerated the sway of her hips, attracting more attention. Zavvi may have lost her ship, but she might as well entertain herself a while.

Climbing up the ramp, she entered the offices at the top, to be greeted by a portly, balding man with a rather fetching moustache.

"Welcome, Captain!" He smiled as she entered, shaking her hand. "I'm Viidu. Corso told me we've had a rough day. How about a drink to wash away our worries?"  
"Ah, that's very kind of you, Viidu, but I'd rather stay sober if I'm gonna get my ship back." Zavvi shook her head.  
"Suit yourself." He raised his glass. "Here's a toast to my favourite things - the best collection of artworks and exotic beverages in the whole system." He scowled unhappily. "And here's to the stupid separatists who destroyed it all. Between them and that backstabber Skavak, I am thoroughly ruined." He took a long drink. Zavvi disliked pompous men, which Viidu seemed to look like, but for some reason, she couldn't find it in her to be mean. Viidu looked to her, with a half-smile. "The blasters Skavak stole in your ship belonged to Rogun the Butcher. As employers go, he's not the most forgiving."  
"I'm assuming he got that title for a reason..." She groaned, feeling her stomach sink and try to find a new home in her feet.  
"Unfortunately so." Viidu nodded. "He's killed enough people to fill a convoy of bulk freighters, and now we've crossed him. Rogun bought those blasters to protect his business from separatists. When he finds out what's happened, guess who dies first?"  
"You?" She ventured.  
"Perhaps, but you're working for me too, so we're equally as doomed. Including the rest of my workforce." He muttered unhappily.  
"Wait, what? But they had nothing to do with it!" Zavvi exclaimed with horror, before remembering Skavak had been Viidu's employee, and he'd turned. "So he'd kill the rest out of spite?"  
"Something like that." Zavvi blinked. She hated Rogun already and hadn't met the guy. She could understand killing Viidu and herself; they'd failed directly. But Corso and the others? That didn't seem fair.

"The only way we're getting out of this alive is finding Skavak, your ship and those stolen blasters." Viidu spoke. "I've got an idea where to start looking. There's a guy named Reki who's an expert on separatists. Problem is, Reki's stuck behind a Republic blockade. Troops have the village surrounded while they 'contain' the separatists there."  
"I'll bust Reki outta that village." The smuggler grinned. "Can't be that hard." Viidu shook his head.  
"Forget about a rescue mission. We don't have time. I'm friendly with the Republic commander in charge of the blockade. I can get you in and out of the village, but you'll have to earn your free pass by taking out a few separatists to prove your loyalty. You up for that?"  
Zavvi's smile turned feral, thinking of the snipers in the hills, taking out desperate refugees that just sought shelter. Oh, she'd enjoyed jumping out at them, and putting them out of their misery. Some soldiers atop the walls had spotted her flushing the snipers from their hidey holes and had whooped, picking them off as they scattered.  
"I'd kill those scum just for kicks." She replied, and the portly human grinned back.  
"Good. One less detail to worry about." He turned away, gathering some stuff together. "Reki's village is running out of basic supplies thanks to the blockade. Things are getting desperate in there. I'll pull together a survival kit. You smuggle it to Reki, and he'll tell you a way to find Skavak. Reki's at a hideout in Talloran village. I'll send a message so he knows you're coming. Good luck, Captain."  
"Cheers." Zavvi nodded, taking the package and setting off.

* * *

Reki was a pig. Zavvi couldn't help wanting to blow his brains out when she was talking to him, regardless of the fact he was helping to find Skavak and prevent a slaughter happening at Rendia Freight. The women sitting around him looked so brow-beaten and sad, and there he was, taking advantage of them. It made her sick.

She knew what her species represented to a lot of people. Slave dancers, sex symbols. Admittedly, she'd had to flirt with that side when she needed credits, but Zavvi used it as a weapon, making people underestimate her before she whacked them upside the head. Zavvi was determined not to follow the path many other Twi'lek women her age trod. Okay, she'd flirt, she'd sleep with them, but she was just as capable of breaking their hearts, both physically and emotionally. She would not gel to any man; they were so simple in their need for one thing only. None had appealed any further than that, and she had no qualms about flying off and leaving them to pick up the pieces. Serves them right.

She paused, just about the climb the ramp to the offices. Skavak had fitted that picture remarkably well, but Corso intrigued her. He didn't seem to work the same way, not at all. He didn't look at her like she was piece of meat, as the others did, and seemed to treat her just like another person. That wasn't to say he didn't look at all; she had seen him briefly stealing looks at her, but his gaze was not intrusive; respectful, yet appreciative. Seemed to think she couldn't do things by herself though, which did rub her the wrong way. That said, he backed off very quickly when she'd pointed it out to him.

Enough of that. The smuggler ascended the ramp and entered Viidu's office, pleasantly surprised to see the very man she was thinking about sitting at the table with his boss, who was stuffing his face. _Think of the devil, Zee._

Viidu spotted her first, and waved her over, swallowing his food before speaking.  
"Back already, Captain?" He asked. "Help me and Corso finish this Roba steak. Don't let this fine cut of meat go to waste." Corso chuckled.  
"Boss! Quit acting like that's your last meal! Rogun the Butcher ain't gonna kill you." Zavvi tried to stop her face falling. _If only you knew, Corso._ Still, she smiled warmly.  
"Good to see you again, Corso." He turned to her, brown eyes sparkling.  
"Likewise." He answered, with his warm smile. "Looking forward to working together, Captain." The two let their eyes hold, not knowing Viidu was watching this with interest, and slight apprehension. _Don't fall for her, kid, she won't be here for long. She'll leave and break your heart._ He thought, and decided to move things along.  
"Nice work in Talloran, Captain." She looked back to Viidu, but Corso didn't immediately, blinking first, as if to clear his head. "We're getting somewhere in this hunt for Skavak. Reki told me he gave you a way into the separatist hideout. Said something about a secret entrance?"  
"Yeah, hidden in a real boring treatise on bird-watching. I like birds, but by the stars, I haven't heard of such a sadistic way to hide info." Zavvi shook her head, settling down in the chair opposite Corso. He chuckled again.  
"Always wondered how Reki could steal so much from Mannett Point and not get caught." He mused.  
"Getting onto Mannett Point will be extra tricky. For one thing, you'll have to swim there." Viidu explained.  
"When the seps invaded, they blew up the only bridge leading onto the island." Corso explained, and she noted a bitterness in his tone. "Turned it into their own private resort."  
"Aw, just my luck." The spacer groaned. "I'm gonna take forever to dry out."  
"You'll be walking into the rancor's den, Captain." Viidu warned, ignoring her comment.  
"I eat rancors for breakfast!" The Twi'lek proclaimed. "I'll do it blindfolded, just for fun!" Apparently the joke flew over Viidu's head, but the younger man's lips twitched.  
"Don't get cocky. That place is filled with people who'd like to blast that grin off your face. If you download the separatist computer files onto the this datapad and bring it back here. We'll handle the rest."  
"I'd rather go with you, Captain." Corso spoke, and Zavvi got ready to verbally smack him if he even suggested she needed protection. "My vibroblade's pretty good at chopping seps off at the knees. I call it 'Hewie'." That made her giggle, both at the image and his adorable habit for naming weapons.  
"You name all your stuff?" She asked. Corso ducked his head, a blush growing on his cheeks.  
"Yeah..." He admitted shyly, and the smuggler was half tempted give him a cuddle he looked so sweet.  
"Forget about the separatists, Corso." Viidu said sternly, and the young man looked up. "I want that slicer kit here before the Captain gets back." She saw a flicker of annoyance in his face, and then resignation, which he tried to hide.  
"I'm on it, boss." The mercenary rose, from his seat. "Good luck at Mannett Point, Captain."

When Corso had properly left the room, the older man gave a long-suffering sigh.  
"Last thing I need is Corso turning 'one man army' out there. Kid'll get himself killed for nothing." He whispered, looking at her pointedly. "Separatists wiped out his family a couple of years ago. Corso took it personal."  
Zavvi winced. That explained why he was eager to come with her on her mission. She was surprised such a light-hearted bloke could hide such a secret under the surface; she wouldn't have guessed by a glance. She felt for him, and suddenly felt more respect for Viidu. He was keeping Corso away from combat for a reason, and she could tell that the young human didn't know the reasons why, and maybe was starting to resent it?  
"I can imagine." She nodded. "But how did he end up working for you?"  
"He was a farm boy, from the hinterlands. He came here and started as warehouse labour." Viidu explained. "But he took to fighting like a Firaxan shark to water."  
Soft footsteps made the Twi'lek turn, noticed Syreena walking in. Ah yes, she'd been the only lady-face Zavvi had seen in the building. It was a good chat (Zavvi had gleaned that she was Viidu's girl) and she was nice enough, but the smuggler couldn't help but feel something was not right with her. She couldn't put her finger on what, but something didn't sit well.  
"Viidu, there's someone named Rogun calling on the holo. He sounds upset." She spoke in her soft voice. Zavvi and Viidu's hearts sank.  
"Oh, that's all I need." He groaned. "Stall him for me, sweetheart." Syreena nodded, walking off, and the two stood up. "Remember the plan: disrupt Mannett Point's power relays, get inside Reki's old home and use those schematics to enter the separatist's base. When you're in, slice into the separatist computer and download everything onto my datapad." He handed it to her. "Good luck."


	4. Got a Crush on You

Zavvi had to disentangle herself from the mother's embrace as she sobbed with joy, and she fended off the credits they offered her.  
"No no, keep them." She insisted. "You don't have much as it is, and I couldn't take them off you."  
"Are you sure?" The old woman asked. "It seems so rude-"  
"Let her go, Ellis." The old man said. "She said no."  
"Oh, Force bless you!" Ellis replied, and the Twi'lek had to dart away from another attempt at a hug.  
"I promise, Paul will come and find you when he's ready." The smuggler reassured the parents. "He might need some time, but you'll be reunited."  
"Thank you." The old man nodded. "Thank you for taking your time."  
"Oh, it's no problem." Zavvi smiled. "You guys are struggling out here, so it's the least I can do to help."  
"And we're all grateful. Now, don't let us waste any more of your time." The old man shooed her away, and Zavvi quickly picked up the pace to Rendia Freight.

There seemed to be an awful lot of people who needed help on Ord, and she couldn't really blame them with all the battles going on. Though she wanted to find her ship as soon as possible, the Twi'lek captain was not deaf to cries for aid, and helped when she could. Though she did usually ask for payment, she would waive her fee sometimes depending on circumstance. The refugees she'd just helped find their son was one of them. She could see they were very poor, and the mother was beside herself with worry for her lost son, whilst the father had seemingly given up altogether. The spacer felt it would be cruel to ask for payment, and did it without asking for a fee. She'd found the son, captured by the separatists and pumped full of adrenals to keep him aggressive, and he'd been so remorseful for what he'd done, he'd wept in her arms. Paul couldn't go back to his family in the face of things he'd done, and so Zavvi had given him credits to get a pass off Ord Mantell. His and his parents joy was sometimes all she needed from a job.

_I'm such a softy._ Zavvi thought to herself. _But I wouldn't trade it for more credits. That's not who I am._

* * *

Viidu and Corso were talking when Zavvi walked in, but the conversation broke off when the boss noticed her.

"Finally! I thought you'd never get back! Tell me you got those separatist files!" She was about to open her mouth to retort that she'd been saving doctors and orphans when she caught Corso's eye. And he winked.

She stopped dead. Did he know? Surely not...She shook her head to get back on track, handing the datapad to Viidu.

"Those seps never knew what hit 'em." The Twi'lek grinned.  
"See, boss?" Corso piped up. "I told you the captain would come through! I hate missing all the fun though." He frowned. "Next time, I wanna go."

It was nice having Corso's approval. And she noted he seemed to have dropped the 'protective' act. But she wondered what he'd heard or seen to do that. Very mysterious; the only time she could think of him possibly seeing her was when she killed the separatists in the hangar, unless he'd been following her. Yet he was always here, so she figured he wasn't. But then she remembered something.

"Oh, Viidu, some of your goons went after your girl earlier." She noticed the Mantellian tense up, looking like he was about to punch someone. Viidu sighed, looking through the datapad's contents.  
"Word must be getting out that we're in trouble. The warehouse boys smell blood in the water."  
"Want me to knuckle down on the staff, boss?" The mercenary asked, and Zavvi was briefly surprised. Then remembered this operation was illegal and what Viidu had told her of Corso taking to fighting. He must have moved up from labour to muscle. _Maybe that's how he got his gorgeous physique._ She wondered absently, before realising what she was thinking and hoped she wasn't blushing.

"No, just keep any eye on them. If those idiots make another move against me, we'll clean house." He turned back to her. "You did good, Captain. Corso found us a terrific little slicer kit, so we're ready to decrypt that data. We'll know where to find Skavak soon, but until then, I have a special job only you can do."  
"Oh? Well, until I get my ship back, my schedule's pretty open." Zavvi remarked.  
"I have an exciting opportunity for us to all stay alive." Viidu explained. "I need you to keep Rogun off our backs. Syreena stalled him earlier, but it's not enough. We need to distract Rogun by giving him something he really wants - a canister of some special chemicals from a nearby village." Corso's eyes widened.  
"The 'Big Boom Run'? Are you kidding, boss?" He exclaimed. "I can see it making Rogun's day, but it's blasted risky."  
"...I'm not gonna like this, am I?" Zavvi groaned.  
"'Fraid not, Captain." Riggs shook his head. "Folks lose their arms and legs on this job. Heads too." Viidu ignored him and her rapidly deteriorating expression.  
"There's a loopy scientist with a chemical that can supercharge artillery cannons - makes them do more damage."  
"But it's less stable than a drunk savrip onna speeder bike. Handle it wrong, an' suddenly you're little chunks of ex-captain." The young man explained.  
"Sure, it's tricky, but you've got the skill to get it here." A brief pause. "Did I mention this run pays unbelievably well?" Corso groaned as he spotted Zavvi's face light up.  
"How 'unbelievably well' are we talking?" She asked eagerly.  
"You do this, and you can buy some nice upgrades for your starship when you finally get it back. I won't even haggle down on your fee; that's how much I respect you." Corso could practically see the credits signs in her eyes, and he rolled his. He'd have to make she came back from this in one piece...  
"You got yourself a deal." She grinned widely.  
"Excellent! Trymbo is the scientist's name. Got a place in Oradam village. I'll let him know you're coming."  
"See me before you make that run, Captain." Corso spoke. "We should talk." He walked off, and Zavvi looked at Viidu, who shrugged.  
"Might as well see what he wants, Captain." A pause, and it looked like Viidu wanted to say something more, but decided against it. "Good luck."

* * *

Corso was standing just before the door outside, pacing a little. Zavvi was curious as to why he wanted to speak with her, but figured she best hear him out. He seemed such a nice guy...

"You wanted to talk with me, Riggs?" She spoke, and he turned to her.  
"Yeah." He cleared his throat. "Captain, the Big Boom Run isn't a stroll on the beach. You're gonna need an edge to make it back alive." She noticed another pistol dangling from his belt, different from the one before, and he took it, weighing it lightly in his hand. "This here's a SoroSuub SSK heavy blaster. It's cut for a quick draw and got a hair trigger. I call it 'Flashy'." He smiled warmly. "Flashy's the first blaster I ever owned. I want you to have it." He stretched out his hand, the blaster resting gently on his palm.  
"Your first blaster..." Zavvi whispered. "Are you sure, Corso? I couldn't..." He shook his head, drawing closer.  
"I can't let a lady walk into danger unprepared." That touched a nerve, and Zavvi tensed, still not taking the blaster.  
"I don't need you to take care of me, tough guy." She glared at the human, but she was surprised how he rolled with it, and simply smiled back. Those warm smiles were getting annoying; she couldn't be angry at him with his lips curved so.  
"I've seen that with my own eyes." He admitted, but neglected to tell her when or where. He placed Flashy into her hand, his hand moving to clasp her hand and the gun. His touch was soft, gentle, his hands rough and calloused from work. His brown eyes held hers, and Zavvi found she couldn't tear her gaze away. "But you don't have to do everything on your own." He spoke softly, his deep voice strangely sonorous.

There was a pause that stretched seconds to minutes; Zavvi was captivated by him, and him by her, caught in a limbo that they couldn't run from. She found his hands were warm, and she didn't want him to let go. But the Twi'lek did eventually pierce the spell that held them, pulling away with Flashy in hand with a cough.

"I appreciate the thought, Corso." She said, before she grinned devilishly. "Don't expect anything else in return, though. I'm not that kind of woman." Corso blushed a bright red.  
"I-I dunno what sort of men you're used to, but I was raised a gentleman. I wouldn't ever ask that of a lady." He said the second-to-last part with some pride, and the smuggler looked him over, a sly grin playing on her lips.  
"Seems like you're getting sweet on me, farm boy." The spacer purred, sidling closer. "Have ya got a little crush on me?" He blushed all the deeper at that, but managed to scoot past the question.  
"Never met a lady like you, Captain." He grinned, the blush making it look odd. "Got a vested interest in keepin' ya spry and lively."  
"Well, anyway." Zavvi cleared her throat. "I'd better get moving. I'll make sure to take good care of Flashy for ya." Riggs nodded.  
"I'm sure you will, Captain. I'll breath a lot easier knowing you're ready for anything. Best of luck. And..." He hesitated, his voice quietening. "Don't get killed, alright?" Zavvi reached out, resting hand on his arm.  
"Don't worry, Corso. You'll see me again. I promise."

* * *

Zavvi stepped out into the air, and felt the weight of the moment suddenly hit her like a ton of bricks. She stood there a moment, letting her mind work through it. _Let's start at the beginning._ She thought, trying to quiet the clamour going on.

Flashy. She looked over the pistol with a critical eye. It was clunky looking, but she could see it was better than her other pistol by far, and it was well-maintained, and she wondered how long Corso must have spent with it. She began to feel bad. She viewed weapons as just tools, to be discarded when a better version was obtained. But he treated them like she treated her ship; something with a soul, to be cared and treasured and Zavvi couldn't help feeling she was not worthy of his first blaster. She sighed. She might as well make it count, for his sake.

Next. The way he looked at her, spoke to her, and just generally- Ugh, what was it with that man? The Twi'lek frowned. There was something about him. Just, just so strange, so unusual, yet, yet, she didn't mind. She hadn't known the guy for what, a day and already she was respecting him, thinking about him. She couldn't remember the last time, or any time a man had messed her up such as this. Giving her his first ever pistol, smiling at her in that way, the warmth of his hands, the way she seemed to be hypnotized by his gaze; what in the galaxy was going on?

Zavvi took a breath, trying to calm the whirlwind in her head, before suddenly his words came back to her and set it all off again. _Got a vested interest in keepin' ya spry and lively..._  
She blushed, hard, the pigment of her skin turning her face purple, and she started off, hoping that walking would try and keep the thoughts from rattling around in her head. Did he, was he - how could, what?

_Hold on, girl. _The logical, matriarchal part of her piped up, hitting her with a stick. _How are you sure that he didn't just mean 'please don't die because I don't want Rogun ripping me from limb to limb' hmm? He's showed no other inclinations to that sort of behaviour._

_True, but it feels like he's crushing on me. The blushes, they way he looks at me all happy like. I don't wanna go and break his heart._

_You're making a big deal out of nothing. It might be just his way. He respects you, that's all. Now, you really should be finding that scientist, shouldn't you? Not thinking about a handsome young man who may or may not be interested in you._

_Wait, handsome?_

The captain of the _Skylark _tried hard to shut her mind off for a very long time, all the way down to Oradam village.


	5. To Run with the Big Dogs

"Little help here!" Zavvi hollered loudly as she lugged the canister of chemicals through the door of the freight company. She'd got it this far, but now her arms were tiring, and she feared dropping it and it exploding. It seemed so unfair to die that way when she'd come so far.

Her cries were heard, and soon Corso Riggs was by her side and she was surprised by how effortlessly he lifted the container up, as if it were nearly nothing.  
"Go get Viidu." He said. "I'll handle this. You've done enough." The Twi'lek was reluctant to leave him, but she went at his insisting, and she was impressed by how cautiously he moved with such a dangerous load. They carefully manoeuvred it up the ramp (Corso protested, but Zavvi said she would finish her job) and, thankfully, Viidu was waiting in the office with a container for the canister. The smuggler hoped it was safe; a couple of times she'd jarred the thing and expected for her legs to be taken off.  
"Easy does it...This storage container will stabilize the container so it doesn't blow." The three of them gently lowered it into the container, and gratefully shut it. "There we go..."

Zavvi blew out a breath she didn't even realize she'd been holding. "That has got to be the craziest thing I've ever done, ever." The Twi'lek sat down heavily on the floor, her heart battering her ribcage nearly to a pulp. "I need a drink; you got a whisky?" She noticed Corso move from beside her (_Legs! He has nice legs! _She randomly thought, and it was then that she properly knew she needed a stiff drink.), and come back, kneeling down to hand her the glass. He was surprised when she threw it back, wincing at the burning going down her throat. But the kick was what she needed, and she got it. "That's something you'll wanna handle real careful-like. I swear it gave me several heart attacks in a row!" She spoke.  
"Don't worry." Viidu smiled. "This canister is safer than a Senator's daughter in a room full of Jedi." Zavvi let out a bark of laughter, before becoming serious.  
"You got my payment? That was way too dangerous. I'm gonna need some hazard pay too!" Viidu chucked her a pouch of credsticks from his pocket.  
"Thought you'd ask, so I added some to your payout. I like you, kid, I really do." He grinned.  
"The seps were desperate to get their hands on the stuff too; think half of the deaths is from the damn thing exploding, the other half from seps." Corso scowled thoughtfully at her words.  
"We should give them some. Let them blow themselves up." Viidu chuckled. "Anyway, you'll get a lot of free drinks telling this tale. Getting Trymbo's chemicals saved our necks, Captain. Rogun will be too busy selling them to think about the blasters."  
"Hmm." She frowned, wondering how long that would take. Finding Skavak was still a top priority if they were going to get out of this scot free. "That Trymbo guy was a few freighters short of a convoy." She mused.  
"I know what you mean." Viidu nodded. "Every time I talk to him, he thinks I'm his great-grandfather who crashed into a black hole. Anyway, I've got good news and great news, Captain. We cracked the separatist computer files and found Skavak!"

Zavvi was up like a shot, and she noticed Syreena was standing around. The female human reached forward, resting a hand on the boss's arm.  
"Viidu, you promised you wouldn't get so excited. It isn't good for your heart."  
"Sorry, sweetheart." He whispered, but his voice bounced back up again. The Twi'lek thought he sounded like a kid in a candy store. "But this is going to be great! Skavak won't even see us coming! Hah!"  
"Does Skavak still have my ship?" The smuggler asked urgently.  
"Your ship and the blasters. Great, huh? We'll get back everything he stole all at once!" The older man grinned widely, before his expression became serious. "Skavak is taking the blasters to the separatist base. Those wackos built their headquarters inside and old volcano. Crazy, huh?" Corso's expression was darker than Zavvi had ever seen before, and it unnerved her a little.  
"What do you expect from foaming-at-the-mouth murderers?" He snarled. "I wish that volcano would blow its top." The spacer was glad when Viidu talked over him.  
"Skavak's delivering the blasters to a psycho named Dareg at the base. You need to get there first. When Skavak shows up, you can ambush him, grab your ship and fly back here. Easy, huh?" The captain grinned, taking Flashy from her holster and twirling it around her finger. She noticed Riggs was cheered to see it.  
"You're about to see a real life hero in action." Flashy settled nicely in her hand, and she put it away.  
"Make that two heroes." Viidu smiled, catching Zavvi's attention. "I'm not sending you alone. Take Corso with you, Captain." He nodded to the young man, whose eyes were shining bright. "The kid knows more about blasters and vibroblades than anyone I've ever met."  
"I owe Skavak payback for taking Torchy. That was lower than low." He nodded.  
"Don't you worry, farm boy, I'll get him back for ya." She stroked her chin thoughtfully. "You know, I've never had a sidekick before..." Corso's lips twitched in a smile.  
"That's funny," he drawled, "neither have I."  
There was a pause as their gaze held, and slowly, grins spread out across their faces. Zavvi punched him on shoulder.  
"I like you! You can stay!" She laughed, before it cooled to a smile. "It'll be nice to have some backup out there, though."  
"Glad you think so." He smiled back.

Viidu watched this scene unfold with interest, amazed that the two were quickly gelling together as if they were born to be crew-mates. A slight pang went through him, though, as he wondered if his gut feeling about the kid was true, that he had more than just respect for her. If that was so, if this plan worked, then he could see Corso standing out on a landing pad, looking forlornly after the freighter that had just left. He was young, naive, but try as he might, Viidu couldn't hide him forever. He just hoped the captain could let him down gently as she could.  
"Then it's a deal." He spoke, bringing their attention back to him. "You two head for the separatist base, kill Dareg, and ambush Skavak when he shows up. I've got a bottle of Chandrilian brandy to open when you get back."  
"Consider me signed on." Zavvi grinned. "Just, don't expect for there to be much of Skavak left to bury when me and Corso get done with him."  
"Wouldn't even bother, Captain." Viidu replied. "I'd wish you two 'good luck', but I don't want to jinx anything." He looked at them seriously, like a father would. "Just come back in one piece, both of you. I don't want to see anyone come back alone, understood?" They nodded.  
"Sure thing, boss."  
"I promise I'll take good care of him." The smuggler nodded, then turned to her new companion. "Come on Corso, we've done enough standing around. Let's haul jets." He chuckled, and nodded again.  
"Right behind ya, Captain."

As they stepped out into the air, Zavvi brought up a map of the area on her datapad.  
"Huh, interesting. Looks like there's a Republic outpost just in the foothills on the mountain. Mind if we stop there before we head up to the base? We can get some last minute supplies and maybe they'll be interested in paying us for shooting all the seps we find." She looked to Corso, who shrugged.  
"Dunno why you're looking at me, you're in charge!" He chuckled, and she punched his arm.  
"So? I'm not adverse to having input, ya know!" Her smile softened. "We're partners, Corso. We're equal to each other. Just remember I can look after myself; I've never needed a chaperone, and I'm not gonna start needing one now." He held up his hands in surrender.  
"Hey, Captain, I understand that." Changing the subject, he said: "So, what's the plan?" Her brows dipped briefly into a frown, but turned her attention back to the datapad, with Riggs looking over her shoulder.  
"Well, I was thinking we take the speeder to Oradam Village, walk up to the outpost, get a few medical supplies and then we go up to the mountain, kick some ass for a couple of hours, then take a joyride in my ship." She glanced at him. "Sound good?" He grinned.  
"Very good, Captain."

She was very amused when he realized they'd be sharing a speeder together, which resulted in him blushing a lot. Although teasing him would be buckets of fun, she decided to go easy on the young man and told him to sit at the front. As they set off, she wrapped her arms around him, laying her cheek against his back, threading herself around his rifle. He was uncomfortable with the close contact, but the Twi'lek made sure not to exacerbate the situation. She did briefly wonder if he'd ever had a girlfriend; he seemed so shy and awkward, though he was trying his best not to be, and yet she didn't mind. The spacer much preferred this temperament to Skavak's; Corso's bashful nature gave her space and respect, whilst Skavak would have been pawing at her and not really understanding the meaning of 'look, don't touch'. He'd learn that when her foot would be introduced to his crotch, however.  
The farm boy seemingly was very glad when they reached their destination, but let her hop off first before him. He was blushing, as she expected, but she just smiled and beckoned for him to walk with her.  
Hoping to take his mind off this, the captain indulged her curiosity.  
"What's your rifle called?" She asked. Corso blinked, then flushed again. _Stars, is there something he doesn't blush at?_  
"His name's Sparky. He's the only rifle I got at the moment." The smuggler grinned.  
"Viidu not like you hoarding weaponry, then?" He chuckled.  
"Could say that, Captain."

Their peace was shattered when a blaster bolt whistled past Corso's ear. Zavvi swore, dropping behind cover, Corso following her. She peeked over the lip, noticing some beach scavengers had taken offence to their presence.  
"Bloody hell, I should have cleared them out when I had a chance." The Twi'lek snarled. "Let's get them!"  
"We got a fight on our hands, Captain. There's a quite a few of them." Corso pointed out, but to his horror she sprang out of her hiding with the cry of:  
"Don't tell me the odds!" Flashy coughed loudly as the smuggler leapt straight into the melee.

Corso swore loudly, swinging Sparky into his hands. He quickly sized up the enemy; about nine scavengers, most with rifles though there were some with vibroblades. Admittedly, seeing the captain batter one scavenger with the butt of Flashy was incredibly amusing, but he knew without help, she'd be in serious trouble. Aiming his rifle at a man charging at her exposed back, the mercenary flicked a latch and with a cough, and harpoon flew from its mounting, striking the man in the chest, its points clicking open and gripping tightly into the straps on his armour. The cable pulled taut and yanked the unfortunate attacker over to Corso. His belly collided with the barrel of the rifle, and the subsequent blaster bolt penetrated through the armour and killed him instantly. Corso weaved the harpoon free, and quickly charged into the fray. The captain was holding up well; crouching behind a rock, she was making every person that advanced on her pay for each step they made. Suddenly, a grenade popped up out of nowhere, and it's explosion threw the Twi'lek clear, crashing down on her headtails. Her wail of agony made Corso's blood run cold and he quickly started to divert attention away from her by shouting insults and shooting them.

He wasn't entirely successful, however, as some shots bypassed him, and slammed into the smuggler's arms and legs. She swore some of the more brutal swear words he was used to, but he could hear a high-pitched whine of pain intermingling in the timbre of her voice, triggering a surge in his protective instinct as well a fair lump of adrenaline. Zavvi could still fight; Flashy was still firing on those still standing, but Sparky was doing the most damage right now, as Riggs did all he could to keep them from even remembering his charge was there. Luckily, these scavengers weren't stupid, and when they saw that the likelihood of being slaughtered was pretty high, they turned on their tails and fled, but not before Corso sniped a few off as punishment for attacking them in the first place.

He quickly went to Zavvi's side, and saw she was injured on her left side; that had allowed her to keep fighting.  
"I'm fine, I'm fine. Lemme up."  
She attempted to struggle to her feet, but she had to clench her teeth to withstand the pain, and even then, her knee wobbled dangerously, the pain making it weak. The mercenary shook his head, grasping her firmly but gently on her right arm and left shoulder, setting her down against the rocky cliff.  
"No, Captain, your wounds need to be treated. Let me."  
"Fuck off!" She hissed angrily, but Corso was having none of it, holding her down with one hand on her right shoulder as he fumbled for medical supplies with his other. To her chagrin, he was as strong as his muscles suggested and in her weakened state she couldn't even scoot to the side to escape. The mercenary found what he was looking for, gently holding a kolto syringe lightly in his teeth as he rooted around for some bandages. When he found them he sat beside her, electing to treat her leg first. That way it had time to recover so she might be able to walk without aid when he was finished. Slipping his gloves off, Corso began to tend to the wounds on her lower left leg, rolling her trouser leg up to get access to it. The burns were ugly, but they were easily treatable; it was merely the pain that was overcoming her.

Zavvi was surprised at Corso's tender touch, gently placing a kolto patch over the injuries, and winding a bandage over them to prevent them from being picked at. He rolled down her trouser leg and she hissed as she felt the kolto begin to take affect. He moved onto her arm, and she slid her jacket off for him, wincing at the pain. She gritted her teeth as he took her elbow gently and slid the syringe's needle into her vein to give her a dose of healing fluid close to her wounds. He wasn't an expert by all means; blood wept from the puncture wound, but as he coiled bandages over the blaster wounds, Zavvi felt the pain in her legs ebb and the Twi'lek felt a comfort settle over her.  
"Thank you, Corso." She whispered when he was finished. He smiled warmly at her.  
"Any time. Are you able to stand?" She fumbled for a grip, finding one on his shoulder, and she clambered to her feet. A dull ache gnawed at her leg, but it was stable, and she nodded.  
"Yeah, I am. Let's get going, eh? Before I can find any more trouble." The Mantellian rose to his feet, with a grin.  
"If ya say so, Captain."

They set off again, and Zavvi wondered why the mercenary hadn't told her off for her foolishness of charging into a fray without thinking it through, trying to prove to him she didn't need his protection. She's expected him to have chided or laughed at her, but instead he just treated her wounds and took it all in his stride. She looked to him; he was scouting for danger with a much more wary eye now they'd been ambushed once. She felt respect birthing in her heart for him. _Thanks for pairing me up with him, Viidu._ The captain thought quietly to herself.

* * *

"Corso, your boss said this volcano is old, didn't he?"  
"Yeah. Why, Captain?"  
"Might wanna take a look beneath our feet."  
The young man looked down through the slats on the platform they were standing on. Glowing, bubbling orange-red lava swirled around the base of the crater, lighting the place in a deep orange glow, and keeping them toasty warm.  
"There's lava. What's your point?" Zavvi rolled her eyes in exasperation.  
"Oh for the love of...Corso, this volcano is ACTIVE! As in this thing could blow up and kill us! And everyone else in here!" She face palmed. "I hope the rumbles we felt were just it settling and not a sign the bloody thing is ready to blow."  
The mercenary blinked.  
"You mean-"  
"Oh yes. Me and you are fighting separatists inside a giant volcano filled with lava, looking for my ship and Skavak, with a slight chance of death! You know, I've never once felt like my life is like a video game, but, first time for everything." She made great big gesticulations with her hands and arms, and Corso couldn't help admiring the curves of her body, though his mind keep telling him not to.  
"How do you know about volcanoes, Captain?" He asked, as they returned to their journey up the maze of ramps and walkways to where Skavak was supposed to be. "Doesn't seem like something a freighter captain should know 'bout, s'all." A half-smile.  
"I'm not damaged, Corso. I'm not one of the smugglers with a sob story as long as my lekku. I was birthed to a mother and father who loved each other, I went to school, I learnt to fight and good business, I got my ship, I became a smuggler. That's all there is." She shrugged. "I learnt a few things at school. Not much, but I learnt enough to tell you this is a dangerous place." Her green eyes met his brown and they stayed there a while. It was the Twi'lek who turned away first. "I'm sorry."  
Corso blinked, puzzled at her sudden change of tack.  
"For what?"  
"I hear your past isn't as rosy as mine." The smuggler looked back him with sympathy. "Viidu told me about your family..." She noticed him tense as she said that. Obviously they meant a lot to him...  
"Why are you saying sorry though, Captain? It wasn't your fault..." He asked, both confused and curious.  
"I wouldn't say that if I didn't think you deserved better." She quickened her pace a little, as if she'd said too much and was hiding her expression. Corso paused, looking after her. It took a little while before Zavvi realized she was walking alone, and she stopped, calling to him. Corso hesitated, then jogged up to her, his heart all knotted up inside.


	6. From the Ashes

Dareg hit the floor with a satisfying 'thud', the smell of plasma burnt skin fresh in Zavvi's nostrils. His henchman were fanatic to the last, and refused to yield to Zavvi and Corso's assault, but she did notice one (was his name Morant?) who seemed to half-heartedly shooting in their direction, not really aiming at them. She resolved to find out why now, as Corso smashed the last attacker's skull in with a blow from the butt of his rifle, which made her cringe at the sound of crunching bone. He seemed extra violent with separatists, and it was starting to make her feel unwell.

They turned on Morant, who fell to his knees, throwing his gun away and holding his hands up in surrender. Zavvi kept Flashy's sights levelled on the middle of his forehead anyway, just in case he dared retaliate. You could never be too careful.  
"I surrender, I surrender!" He cried, looking up at them imploringly. "Please, I don't want to die!" He swallowed quickly, and tried to keep from babbling. "I know why you're here, and you're wasting your time!" Her eyebrows furrowed.  
"How do you figure that?" She asked coolly. "Where is Skavak and my starship?"  
"Skavak is long gone. He left hours ago." He noticed the grip on the trigger tighten and quickly added; "We were tipped off! We knew all about you before even walked in here." He gave an angry sigh, reassured as the smuggler lowered her gun to listen, judging Morant as speaking the truth. "Dareg was stupid to fight you. He got everyone killed when he should've just told you the truth. Skavak showed up a few hours to deliver the guns, but it was all a trick. He pretended to be on our side so he could steal some rusty antique droid from Dareg."  
The mercenary and smuggler both briefly shared a look as Morant stumbled to his feet.  
"Skavak came here to steal a droid?" Her eyebrow quirked up. "But that doesn't even make any sense!"  
"I know!" Morant wailed. "It was some worthless pile of scrap that had been in Dareg's family for generations. It was was ancient - practically useless - but Skavak grabbed it like it was some big treasure and blasted his way out." He looked at his feet. "Skavak helped us out a lot. We thought he was one of us, so Dareg was furious when we were betrayed." Zavvi rolled her eyes, not at all surprised or sympathetic. "He left in your ship. I don't know where he went, but I can guess who does. Skavak has a girl at Fort Garnik named Syreena."

The spacer felt as if Corso had just back-handed her. Corso's brows raised in surprise, but didn't let it break through his blank façade. The Twi'lek could only summon one word, which carried her surprise and disbelief.  
"What."  
"It's true!" Morant cried. "They go way back, from what I've heard. They've been scamming Viidu all along. Dareg talked to her on the holo all the time with messages for Skavak. She was our main contact. It was Syreena who warned us you were coming." Zavvi felt her eyebrows furrow. She'd always had a weird little feeling about her and her gut had been right. This woman was going to pay. "If you want to find out where Skavak went, Syreena's the one who knows." The Twi'lek nodded, satisfied with the info. "Please, let me go. I have a family back on the mainland. Please!"

Zavvi was content on letting Morant leave; he hadn't properly shot at them, and had provided a good lump of information. And she didn't shoot surrendering people. But just as he talked about his family, out of the corner of her eye she saw Corso tense up. She was about to tell Morant to be on his way when Corso moved towards him deliberately, and the smuggler felt her heart knot as she recognised the gait of an executioner. _Oh no..._

"Separatist scum killed my family, and I promised myself I'd bury every last one of you." His once jovial tone was gone, and he raised Sparky up, pressing the hot barrel against Morant's temple, and the man winced with pain, eyes drowning in fear.  
"I-I've only ever been here a few months! I didn't kill anyone's family! I've only ever followed orders!" He wailed.  
"Then I order you to die." Corso snarled malevolently.

Zavvi felt time suddenly stop, and began to unwind languidly, like it was threading through treacle. Where she was standing she could clearly see both men's eyes; Morant's full of terror, Corso's full of hate and fury. Her stomach turned over as suddenly her mind decided she was a Jedi and a scene unfolded before her, her green eyes widening in horror as the images contorted in her mind's eye. She couldn't let him do this. She could see where it was going and if she felt anything for this Mantellian mercenary she must stop this now.

"Belay that order, Corso!" She shouted at him. He swung his head around, and the look that he gave her deeply upset her and made her blood run cold. Those warm brown eyes now only held the cold intent of death, of revenge. The Twi'lek's heart rate began to increase as her brain half-thought that he was going to kill her too for interfering.  
"Captain, I need to do this!" That kicked Zavvi's defiant side and she was suddenly furious. _No, you do not 'need' to do this, farm boy!_ She thought and now there was nothing short of being shot that would stop her. "I can't let him go home and pretend like nothing ever happened!"  
"Corso, would your family want you executing people?" She asked, holding his gaze with some effort. "What would your parents think if they knew their son was killing people begging for their lives?" That struck home and she noticed his shoulders flinch.  
"My family were farmers, not soldiers." He replied, and she saw the light in his eyes flicker like a candle in the breeze, and even though he tried to justify it, the Twi'lek could tell he was more trying to talk himself back into it than convince her. "But they didn't care! They shot them as quick as you or I'd blink!" Sensing Corso's indecision, Morant threw in his two and a half credits.  
"Please, I swear to you I'll never serve a man like Dareg again! I'll just go home and take care of my family! I swear!" Zavvi bent down to pick Morant's discarded pistol up, keeping her eyes fixed on Corso as she did, running her fingers over the muzzle.  
"His gun is cool, Corso. I reckon Morant's just misguided; he's joined the seps on a misconception and he's realized that and surrendered." She looked at the young man pointedly. "Are you not going to give him another chance to turn it around? Are you going to leave a wife, parents, children mourning for a father, brother, son who's not going to come home ever again?" She bite her lip tight as she was starting to have tears pricking at her eyes. "Corso, please, I know you're better than this."  
Seconds stretched to hours as they waited, her breath roaring in her ears to the beat of her heart. Zavvi had her hand resting on Flashy; if Riggs did try to pull the trigger she could try and blast the rifle aside, hopefully injuring Morant rather than killing him. That wasn't a certainty by any means; she knew from fighting beside him he was a good shot, though she thought she was slightly better.

Eventually, Corso gave a loud growl of frustration, pulling his rifle away from Morant and to his side.  
"Get out of here before I change my mind!" He snapped angrily.  
"Thank you!" Morant cried, almost stumbling over himself to get away.

Zavvi and Corso didn't do anything for a while. The human was staring furiously at the floor, so powerfully that the Twi'lek thought it may ignite. He was deliberately ignoring her gaze, and she wasn't foolish enough to get too close or patronize him. Until he calmed down he was extremely dangerous, and the spacer knew it.  
"Come on, Corso. We need to have a little heart-to-heart with Syreena." She spoke, thinking that was best she could do in this situation. He didn't answer for a while, and didn't move either.  
Eventually he looked back up to her, still angry, yet he seemed to have calmed down a bit in the interim.  
"Why did you let him go, Captain?" He asked, voice clipped. Not letting herself be intimidated, she stared right back at him, though the iciness in his eyes still chilled her. She knew she couldn't tell him the whole truth; some of it she herself didn't really properly understand.  
"I couldn't let you do it." She said finally. "I don't expect you to understand, but by letting him go, you saved more lives than just his." She raised a hand to silence him as he opened his mouth to retort. "I understand why you wanted to kill him, and I'm not belittling your family's murders. But revenge is fickle, and don't think it won't come back to bite ya. A Jedi once told me you don't need to be Force-sensitive to fall down the slippery slope into the dark." A pause, as she watched the young man take this all in, his anger gone and replaced by a confused, thoughtful awe.  
Judging that he was now wasn't akin to live ordnance, the Twi'lek walked over to him, and resting her hand on his arm on a comforting gesture.  
"Listen, Corso...Thank you for not shooting him. I really mean it." She looked up at him. "Now, we should get moving, shouldn't we?"

He nodded and fell into step behind her, his head whirling with thoughts, questions with no answers, musings and many other things. The mercenary ran the smuggler's words through his head over and over, trying to understand what she meant. There was a lot she wasn't telling him, he realized, and tried to figure it out, to no avail. One sentence stuck on in his head. _I know you're better than this._ He couldn't help but wonder what she meant by that, deep between the lines...

* * *

It was eerily quiet in Rendia Freight. Way too quiet. Zavvi hadn't been used to the place for very long and even she could tell something wasn't right. She wondered what Corso might have been feeling. The silence helped them hear noises upstairs though, and they crept cautiously up the ramp and hovered just outside the office door. The sight that greeted their eyes made their stomachs sink.  
Viidu was lying sprawled on the floor, still and dead. The holo on the side of the room was lit up, and who else but Skavak was there, and Syreena was talking to him. Zavvi scowled furiously. _Oh, it's on now, bitch._  
"I can't believe you fried Viidu, sweetheart." Skavak was saying. "So what if he caught you talking to separatists?"  
"He threatened to turn me in to Rogun the Butcher. I had to kill him." Gone was the quiet, mouse-like, soft-spoken Syreena that the Twi'lek was used to, and in her place was a devious, sly, cool-blooded woman. She smiled sweetly. "Besides, now we can finally be together." Skavak shifted uneasily.  
"Yeah...And the thing is, my cargo hold is full," Corso saw the captain twinge with anger at that, "and I'm busy with work...I'll call you sometime, though. Promise." The look of horror across the woman's face as she realized she'd been played did give the alien some satisfaction, as well as adding another notch to her utter dislike of Skavak.  
"What are you talking about? You promised to get me out of here - I've done everything for you, Skavak!" She shouted furiously. The Corellian merely smirked.  
"You did it for the money, same as me." He purred. "The only difference is, you're not actually getting paid." It was then Zavvi had heard enough and she moved into the room, Corso on her heels. The smuggler saw the older man glanced over and recognise them. "I'll see you around, darling." He said, signing off with that and flickering away. The spacer cleared her throat loudly, and Syreena turned around to be greeted a very unamused starship captain and her mercenary companion, equally not impressed.  
"C-Captain? I...I didn't see you come in. It's wonderful you're still alive." She smiled nervously. "How long have you been back?"  
"Long enough to hear your 'boyfriend' dump you like a hot brick." Zavvi replied curtly. "Also, the seps say hi, and they told me you set us up." Syreena's façade dropped at that.  
"I should've known those half-wits wouldn't kill you. No use pretending then." She sighed. "Skavak used me just like he did everyone else - that man could charm an armour off a Mandalorian." _The only thing he'll charm me to do is put a blaster bolt neatly between his eyes. _The smuggler thought sarcastically. "Rogun the Butcher's bounty hunters are on their way right now. We don't to be here when they arrive. Skavak took your ship and the guns to Coruscant. If you go now, he won't know you're coming for him." That sparked her temper.  
"How do I get all the way to Coruscant without a ship, you dumb broad? What do you expect me to do; get Corso to throw me as far as he can?" His lips twitched as he tried not to be amused. Her point was sharp enough though, that Syreena quailed slightly, especially when Zavvi's hand brushed over Flashy.  
"You don't need your own starship to leave Ord Mantell - not any more. The separatists are retreating from this island thanks to you, and the Republic just reopened the shuttle port." The betrayer explained. "I'll give you a shuttle pass to Coruscant if you let me disappear. Do we have a deal?"  
Zavvi's eyes narrowed, her nimble fingers pulling Flashy into her grasp and aimnig the pistol at the traitor's forehead.  
"I can take that shuttle pass off your corpse." The Twi'lek smiled malevolently. "Two birds with one stone."  
"C-Captain! Please! We can talk about this!" The woman pleaded desperately, eyes wide.

The smuggler's feral grin unnerved Syreena, as it did Corso, whose uncomfortable shuffling was very distracting. She glanced at him, and noticed the look in his eyes, and was surprised to see him pleading wordlessly for her not to do it. The Twi'lek looked back at Syreena, who was trying to look brave when staring down the business end of a blaster pistol and was partially succeeding.  
She'd killed Viidu. And possibly a whole load of others in the warehouse (that silence has been a death silence, she was sure of it). She'd set them up into a trap, sided with scum that would probably kill their own grandmother if advanced their goals and had helped that dirty thief escape with HER SHIP. And yet...  
Corso was making eyes at her. She could see he wanted to verbally object, but was holding himself back with effort, whilst his expressive eyes screamed at her to stop. And it did make her pause and think, right back to Corso and Morant. She'd stopped him, citing the dark fickleness of revenge as a reason. And yet, here she was, repeating the same scene almost, using revenge as justification. And be damned if that farm boy wouldn't use the hypocrisy of her actions to ask questions she wouldn't or couldn't answer. Now, Syreena had it coming to her, but Zavvi thought that just this once, she'd be merciful. If the human female ever turned up again, then she'd get a right blasting, but that was because she'd used up her last chance. To her chagrin, the spacer noted she'd used that argument against Corso shooting Morant too. She dropped her gun arm with an angry snort of frustration, shooting a glare at Riggs, who ruined it further by looking remarkably relieved at her change of heart, which made her feel good too. _Dangit, farm boy!_

"All right, fine. Give me that pass and get the hell out of my sight!" She snarled, snatching the pass from Syreena's hands as she handed it over, feeling confused at receiving two, but not showing it.  
"Good. Then I'll be on my way." A smugness was creeping into Syreena's tone, which wound the captain up nicely, especially with her next comment (Corso was pretending to not exist at this moment). "When you find Skavak, go easy on him. He's a two-timing liar, but...It would be nice to see him again, someday."  
"Just get lost, you cheap tramp!" Zavvi snapped tartly, eyes ablaze, the timbre of her voice vicious enough to make the woman quicken her pace out of the room.

With Syreena gone, Corso relaxed somewhat, with a small half-smile.  
"Glad that ended peacefully." He said. "I'm not one to hurt women." Unfortunately this was like throwing chum at a shark and Zavvi turned on him promptly  
"Corso, she shot your boss! Don't you care?" She marched up to him and prodded him hard just above his chest plate. "You don't seem to have trouble hurting any one else either, so why women?" To her surprise he didn't cower before her, but a flash of defiance went through his eyes and he straightened his back.  
"'Course I care! Which is why I'm gonna make sure people know what she did to him!" He replied, meeting her powerful glare with a stare of his own. "I weren't gonna just let her swan out here without consequence! There are jus' better ways to handle situations without killing someone!"  
"You seemed remarkable enthralled with creating a corpse outta Morant." The smuggler replied coolly. He paused, and gained a thoughtful look.  
"Maybe, but I see now that it weren't right. Sometimes you just need someone ta hold a mirror up to you, don'tcha?" A small, earnest smile. "Things change."  
Zavvi blinked, completely thrown off guard by that. As she ran his words back, she couldn't feel any more anger at him for 'intervening'. She'd just been so upset her ship had slipped straight out of her grasp yet again and that they'd gone through that for nothing and that Syreena had killed the man who'd helped so much and that Zavvi had began to form a kinship with...her rage had taken hold and it was hard to stop once it got rolling, and again she thanked the Force or whatever deity existed that she'd come to her senses before she'd committed an atrocity.  
"Okay, fine." She sighed. "What's the deal with women, then?"  
"I was raised to tip my hat and open doors for ladies, not blast them." He explained. "'Course, I'll shoot back if they attack me, but I tend to avoid fightin' them if I have to." The Mantellian smiled weakly. "You probably think I'm some dumb farm boy, huh? Head full of old fashioned ideas?" There was a slight chuckle at the end of his sentence, and the spacer couldn't resist a little smile.  
That explained a lot, actually. His protectiveness, why he repeatedly kept calling her a lady when she was sure she wasn't one, why he'd been pissed when she mentioned some idiots had gone after Syreena, and why he'd unfailingly been polite and respectful to her from the first meeting. It was a little silly, admittedly, but Zavvi found she didn't find it all that bad. It...kinda suited him. And she was so unused to it that it intrigued her a great deal.  
"I don't think you're dumb." The smuggler answered. "You're actually kinda sweet." She smiled, and could just barely repress her grin as a very big blush bloomed on his face, and even escaped some way down his neck.  
"Oh." Corso blinked, thoughts briefly halted. "Well...thanks, Captain." He replied bashfully. "I like you too." His shy manner was so adorable that the Twi'lek couldn't resist a little giggle, which didn't help his blush at all.

The human groped for something to say, eyes falling onto the body. He sighed sadly, his redness ebbing away like waves from a beach.  
"Poor old Viidu. Wish he could hear what we did - would've put a smile on his face." Zavvi nodded sadly.  
"Aye. What do we do, Corso? It seems disrespectful just to leave him here." She looked to the mercenary.  
"Well, we haven't much choice, Captain. It's not healthy for us to stick around - I know she lied a lot, but I believe what Syreena said about bounty hunters comin'. We don't know how long Skavak will stay on Coruscant either. Let's hop a shuttle and catch him while we can."  
"Yeah, you have a point. Let's-" Suddenly his words registered and the spacer stopped mid-sentence, confused. "Wait a minute, you're planning to tag along?"  
"I'm not bailing on you now, Captain." Riggs answered. "Besides, my Torchy still needs rescuing."  
It did make sense now, when Zavvi mulled it over. Corso had lost his family, found a 'second' in Viidu and his motley crew, which he'd promptly lost. The farm boy had nowhere to go, was missing his favourite pistol, and his only link now was her. No wonder he'd volunteer to come with her. Though deep in her mind, she pondered whether this second loss had really hit home yet, and hoped quietly he'd be able to deal with it.  
"Well, in that case, I better welcome you to my crew. All two of us." Zavvi grinned, and the two shook hands to seal the deal. "Still, we do need to give Viidu some measure of respect. I doubt getting shot was the way he wanted to go." She pursed her lips as she thought.  
"I understand, Captain, but if we do that, those bounty hunters will know someone's been here, and got out alive." He frowned unhappily. "They'll know they're missing some and start chasing us."  
"That's a bummer." The captain sighed. "But I don't really wanna join him in the Void just yet..." Corso moved over to a small crate nearby, pulling it out from under the table.  
"Huh, looks like Viidu left me some stuff. I expect he'd want me to share it with you." The two raided the contents, Zavvi finding some nice body armour for herself along with credits, and Corso discovered some items that he regarded with interest.  
"Corso, I would advise you to go and pick up a few things from wherever you stash 'em to take with us. You can't take much; we only have what we can carry and I left a good load of my stuff on the _Skylark_, as I thought it'd just be a simple delivery." She huffed. "I promise we'll come back once we have the ship and we can pick the rest of your stuff up, but for now...You best get to it."  
"Gotcha, Captain."

Zavvi was waiting at the door when Corso rejoined her, and she couldn't help but smile when she noticed the vibroblade strapped to the opposite side to his rifle.  
"That Hewie?" She asked, and Corso grinned back.  
"Yup. Thought I'd take him along. Ya never know when one'll come in handy." He replied. "Anyhow, let's head for the shuttle port, Captain. We'll be off this planet before you know it."  
"Prefer to leave in my ship, but at least we'll hunt down that dirty thief and make him pay for it all."  
"Of course, Captain." Corso nodded.  
"And good thing Syreena didn't notice she handed me two shuttle passes instead of one." The Twi'lek grinned, fanning them out in her hand. "So unless she's got a third, which is unlikely, she's stuck here a while." Corso looked incredulously at them.  
"Really? Wow." He breathed, then grinned. "Aw well, I'm sure she'll find a way outta here. She always did get herself outta trouble real easy. Still, makes it easier for the two of us."  
"Yup. Come on farm boy, let's haul jets." He nodded again, falling in behind her as she stepped out into Fort Garnik.

She'd lost her ship, her only true companion, or so she'd thought. However, she'd gained a crew member, a loyal, strong one at that. Strangely, Zavvi felt different. She'd never felt exactly lonely aboard her ship, but now Corso was with her, she felt as if she hadn't been right before. She couldn't put her finger on why or what, so dismissed the thought. Yet, Zavvi did know two things for certain.  
One, she stood a chance of finding Skavak. And two, that they were going to bring that thieving Corellian liar crashing to the ground.  
Zavvi wasn't to know that the adventure of a lifetime was only just beginning...


End file.
